Chapter One
Phoebe reentered her office at Androtti’s
clutching a bag of Chinese takeout from a nearby restaurant. A drizzling of
rain had left her golden hair a mass of waves, and she ran a hand through it in
an attempt to restore some semblance of order after setting lunch on her desk.
She took time to remove her raincoat, stow her purse in the bottom drawer of
her desk and check the voicemail for messages before picking up the bag and
moving to Luca’s office. A soft tap elicited an “Enter” in his deep, lightly
accented baritone, and she opened the door.
Luca looked up, his eyes gleaming darkly
behind the gold frames of his reading glasses. The amber glow from the lamp on
his desk brought out rich blue highlights in his thick, black hair, making it
difficult for Phoebe to focus on the task he had set for her. She stood
stupidly in the doorway, unable to tear her eyes from her boss. A lock of hair
flipped onto his forehead made her fingers itch to push it back, before
proceeding down his face, to lightly caress the slight lines at his eyes. She
would then move downward, across the strong bridge of his nose, to savor the
firm texture of his full lips, before touching the slight cleft in his chin.
Once her hands had explored the strong column of his throat, she would splay
them across his chest as she sank onto his lap, her lips moist and ready to
taste his….
Luca clearing his throat brought her back
to reality. With a shake of her head, Phoebe did her best to hide her
embarrassment at slipping into the fantasy. She lifted the bag higher. “Fried
rice and spicy beef, as requested.”
He removed his glasses, setting them atop
the file in one movement, even as he beckoned her forward with his other hand.
Phoebe’s feet propelled her toward him, the heels of her shoes sinking into the
frosted-gray carpet that was so plush it was probably more comfortable to sleep
on than her own bed.
Upon reaching his desk, she put down the
bag, opened it, and began removing the boxes. Each one was marked, so it was a
simple matter to separate his order from hers. Silence filled the room while
she completed the task, and Phoebe tried to pretend she wasn’t aware of Luca’s
eyes sweeping over her as she worked. It was a difficult charade to maintain,
since she could almost feel his sensual gaze touching her, caressing her
intimately.
He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
She was convinced they were both aware of the smoldering sexual tension that
arced between them whenever they shared the same space. Phoebe knew enough
about men to read the awareness in his eyes, to pick up on his subtle signals.
She wasn’t naïve enough to think Luca lacked any experience with female
companions, so she couldn’t delude herself into thinking he didn’t know she was
equally attracted to him. The three months she had worked for him had only
increased her attraction and, judging from recent behavior, his too.
Phoebe’s hands trembled slightly when she
picked up the two boxes containing her order, along with a plastic fork,
preparing to return to her desk. She held her breath, tensing as Luca slid away
from his desk to gain his feet. Her heart hammered in her ears when he walked
toward her. She held breath escaped in a harsh exhalation when he brushed
against her arm in the process of pointing to the cozy arrangement of a sofa,
two chairs and a coffee table in the corner of his office.
“Stay, have lunch with me.”
Was she imagining the hint of smokiness in
his tone? Phoebe tried to appear nonchalant when she asked, “Shall I fetch the
recorder?” The only times he had asked her to join him before had entailed
working lunches, where he dictated memos into the recorder, or they discussed various
strategies for dealing with a particular situation.
Luca shook his head, scooped up his
containers, and walked toward the sofa. His broad shoulders and lean waist,
emphasized by the expertly tailored suit, drew her eyes, and it was all
Phoebe reentered her office at Androtti’s
clutching a bag of Chinese takeout from a nearby restaurant. A drizzling of
rain had left her golden hair a mass of waves, and she ran a hand through it in
an attempt to restore some semblance of order after setting lunch on her desk.
She took time to remove her raincoat, stow her purse in the bottom drawer of
her desk and check the voicemail for messages before picking up the bag and
moving to Luca’s office. A soft tap elicited an “Enter” in his deep, lightly
accented baritone, and she opened the door.
Luca looked up, his eyes gleaming darkly
behind the gold frames of his reading glasses. The amber glow from the lamp on
his desk brought out rich blue highlights in his thick, black hair, making it
difficult for Phoebe to focus on the task he had set for her. She stood
stupidly in the doorway, unable to tear her eyes from her boss. A lock of hair
flipped onto his forehead made her fingers itch to push it back, before
proceeding down his face, to lightly caress the slight lines at his eyes. She
would then move downward, across the strong bridge of his nose, to savor the
firm texture of his full lips, before touching the slight cleft in his chin.
Once her hands had explored the strong column of his throat, she would splay
them across his chest as she sank onto his lap, her lips moist and ready to
taste his….
Luca clearing his throat brought her back
to reality. With a shake of her head, Phoebe did her best to hide her
embarrassment at slipping into the fantasy. She lifted the bag higher. “Fried
rice and spicy beef, as requested.”
He removed his glasses, setting them atop
the file in one movement, even as he beckoned her forward with his other hand.
Phoebe’s feet propelled her toward him, the heels of her shoes sinking into the
frosted-gray carpet that was so plush it was probably more comfortable to sleep
on than her own bed.
Upon reaching his desk, she put down the
bag, opened it, and began removing the boxes. Each one was marked, so it was a
simple matter to separate his order from hers. Silence filled the room while
she completed the task, and Phoebe tried to pretend she wasn’t aware of Luca’s
eyes sweeping over her as she worked. It was a difficult charade to maintain,
since she could almost feel his sensual gaze touching her, caressing her
intimately.
He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
She was convinced they were both aware of the smoldering sexual tension that
arced between them whenever they shared the same space. Phoebe knew enough
about men to read the awareness in his eyes, to pick up on his subtle signals.
She wasn’t naïve enough to think Luca lacked any experience with female
companions, so she couldn’t delude herself into thinking he didn’t know she was
equally attracted to him. The three months she had worked for him had only
increased her attraction and, judging from recent behavior, his too.
Phoebe’s hands trembled slightly when she
picked up the two boxes containing her order, along with a plastic fork,
preparing to return to her desk. She held her breath, tensing as Luca slid away
from his desk to gain his feet. Her heart hammered in her ears when he walked
toward her. She held breath escaped in a harsh exhalation when he brushed
against her arm in the process of pointing to the cozy arrangement of a sofa,
two chairs and a coffee table in the corner of his office.
“Stay, have lunch with me.”
Was she imagining the hint of smokiness in
his tone? Phoebe tried to appear nonchalant when she asked, “Shall I fetch the
recorder?” The only times he had asked her to join him before had entailed
working lunches, where he dictated memos into the recorder, or they discussed various
strategies for dealing with a particular situation.
Luca shook his head, scooped up his
containers, and walked toward the sofa. His broad shoulders and lean waist,
emphasized by the expertly tailored suit, drew her eyes, and it was all
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